Obviously MotoGP is still the goal but this year has really set my progression back and has forced me to take a sideways step. I honestly never imagined that I would race in the AMA until I was much older and probably coming towards the end of my career. America has good racing and good riders at the sharp end of each class. The team I will be riding for is the same that I rode for in Mid-Ohio, Team Celtic Racing. They are a small but growing team who are putting in a lot of their own money and are going to provide me with a good bike for next year.
I will be riding a Yamaha in both classes which, as I understand at the moment, will have basically all the factory parts on it, except for the electronics. Also, I’ll be using Dunlop tyres and they have promised to give good support which will count for a lot. The team are putting a lot of effort in and I think I can do a good job and hopefully repay them for their efforts. The team have been very good in understanding that MotoGP is my goal and have told me that if for some reason the riders that Ilmor are after don’t work out, for whatever reason, and there is a possibility for me to go there, then I am allowed to. But I think that there is a very slim chance of that happening. Also they have agreed that if somebody gets injured next year in BSB or
MotoGP, SBK etc then I am free to take the stand-in rides that I see as being a good opportunity, as long as they don’t clash with any of the AMA rounds.
I go testing for the first time in a couple of weeks at Daytona for the Dunlop tests but will be using the ‘06 bike. It will just be a test to get a general feel for the tyres and the track which will be important for the first race of the season, at
Daytona, next March.
